Friday, February 14, 2014

The Heart Matters More

"getting right to the heart of matters, its the heart that matters more" - Adam Duritz

For years I've been writing, speaking, coaching and consulting under the notion that faith is the divine principle of motivation. We all know that hope is not a strategy but trust still matters most. We now know what you eat, the bands you like and your favorite sports team. These personal preferences are being incorporated into workforce strategy to benefit from the momentum of personal branding.

Data doesn't tell the whole story... Don't believe me?

~ Why are fantasy football leagues won by people who hate football?
~ Are consumer impressions driven by product quality or promotional sex appeal?
~ How is it that the people with the best individual statistics don't win every game?

I'll tell you why.....

Numbers Lie!
With all due respect, most executives are totally out of touch with their workforce (see Undercover Boss). It's cool, organizational leaders have more important things to deal with than employee morale. Executive perception is an astronomically unfair and a totally unavoidable workforce sin.

You cannot judge 10 years of a person's performance by one encounter. But, if the CEO happens to be visiting your office while you are on a personal call - you're toast! You never get a second chance to make a first impression (especially when it comes to executive perception).

Organizational leaders don't know that you took on a task so your employee could get to her daughter's dance recital. You are a name on a spreadsheet.

You should incorporate a strategy to keep your name off the naughty list... it's not as hard as you think!    

Crowdsourcing is Stupid!
My literary prose is nothing to celebrate yet more people read this blog than more reputable publications. Glassdoor is the first source any new hire will visit before choosing your company. Yelp reviews are the talk of the town in any town.

What do the aforementioned resources have in common? Credibility is the exception.

Most people who write Glassdoor reviews are bitter ex-employees...how many amazing new hires have been driven away by their comments? Yelp has become so watered-down that negative reviews actually intrigue surveyors to 'see for themselves'.

These systems can be gamed with very little effort. My blog, twitter, Glassdoor, Yelp.... make professionals out of amateurs. Why hire professionals when volunteers will create your content for free.

Personal Example: I am the third most-popular person at a 1000+ employee company (we have data to prove it) because I do back spins at company parties... I am not our third highest revenue producer.  

Faith Is A Strategy! 
Those at the top of the sales ranking reports are seldom the best examples of company culture. Your most popular employees are seldom your most productive.

The real facts:
* Micro-management is dead.
* Bureaucracy is fading.
* No one cares about past accomplishments.
* Average employee tenure is less than 36 months.
* Any dip shit can make decisions based on a spreadsheet.
* Your most deceitful employees know how to game your CRM!

Great leaders establish a belief system... there is no data needed, no spreadsheets are involved, and there is no guessing. We cannot quantify a managers effect on their employees through a spreadsheet: it is not a measure of popularity or results.

I don't have to tell my Dad I love him... he knows I do. But, I always tell him I love him before I ask him for money.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

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